Ell River Brewing Triple Exultation
What the brewers say
“Traditionally, old ales are dark, rich, and sweet, with avors of soft currant, fruit, and blackstrap molasses. While old ales typically have IBUs of 30-65, we put own own spin on the style by adding extra hops to ramp up the IBUs to 80!”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “There is a distinct character of age, with hints of tobacco, leather, and bubble gum. Very complex and very intriguing. Strong English earthy hops. Moderate plum, touch of cherry and chocolate. Slight nutty. Strong malt sweetness, heavy with caramel and toffee. Also sweet alcohol notes.”
Flavor: “Moderate spicy hops, big earthy hops, touch of oral. Sweetness of toffee, caramel, and some chocolate add body to this beer. Slight vanilla. Some dark fruit/cherry notes add sweetness and complexity. The warmth of the alcohol helps to nish this beer leaving it slightly sweet, but not too sweet.”
Overall: “A more hops-dominated complex old ale that could easily pass as a barleywine. Very avorful with sweet caramel and toffee. The warmth and hops earthiness helped to keep this beer in check and blended well.”
